Bottle pocket



J. B. M cABE BOTTLE. POCKET Sept. 3, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 6, 1

g j/a 12 I l I l I I II l INVENTOR. (JO/412,5 m Cafip J. B. MGCABE BOTTLE POCKET Sept. 3, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 6, 1 954 I IN VENTOR. JO? 3 m Caz-6e United States Patent Tr BOTTLE POCKET John B. McCabe, Fort Atkinson, Wis., assignor to Cherry- Burrell Corporation, Chicago, Ill., a corperation of Delaware Application May 6, 1954, Serial No. 427,967

2 Claims. (Cl. 198-431) My invention relates to a bottle carrying pocket and has reference more particularly to a pocket or cage of the type for receiving and conveying milk bottles or the like through a commercial bottle washing machine.

Bottle washing machines are more or less standard equipment in every dairy which uses glass bottles. These machines are usually automatic in operation and employ a continuous bottle conveyor system. The conveyor consists of successive rows of bottle-receiving facilities known as pockets and the rows usually range from about four to sixteen bottle pockets in width.

It is the usual practice for the bottle conveyor to move intermittently, and during each pause one row of bottle pockets is unloaded and an adjacent row is loaded, so that both the loading and the unloading operations occur at the same end of the machine. In some of the small size models, the loading is done by hand, and in others, the loading is automatic from conveyors.

The bottles are inserted into the pockets with the top or open end projecting inwardly. The conveyor then takes them downwardly to a soaking compartment containing heated caustic solution, the bottles being in upright position as they pass through this compartment. The conveyor then takes the bottles up to a top return level where they pass in inverted position over a succession of jets which flush out the interiors of the bottles. The bottles are then conveyed to the unloading position where they are resting on their sides in the bottle pockets and at that time ejector fingers enter the pockets and push the bottles out onto a horizontal discharge plate which is then tipped upwardly to place the bottles in upright position.

Because of the variety of bottle shapes used in the dairy industry and the various sizes of bottles used in any one dairy, it has been necessary to provide special pockets of various shapes and sizes adapted to handle the various types of bottles. Attempts have been made to provide pockets capable of handling bottles of several sizes but they have usually failed to keep the various types of bottles properly aligned therein and this resulted in improper cleaning and frequent breakage. In some in stances adjustable bottle pockets have been provided but because of the number of rows on each conveyor and the necessity for adjusting each row, it required a great deal of time to adjust such bottle pockets for the various size bottles and the adjustable feature often required repair and necessitated putting the washer out of operation.

It is the principal object of my invention to provide a universal bottle pocket for commercial bottle washing machines which is adapted to receive and handle bottles of a variety of shapes and sizes.

It is another object of my invention to design such a bottle pocket which will preserve the proper alignment of even the smallest bottles placed therein so as to insure proper handling and ejection of such bottles.

It is a further object of my invention to insure simplicity of design in bottle pockets of this character so as to achieve low cost and to insure dependable performance,

2,804,966 Patented Sept. 3, 1957 these and other objects being accomplished as hereinafter described, reference being had to the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a top view showing a portion of a row of bottle pockets embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view showing a portion of a row of bottle pockets;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 44 of Fig. 3.

Referring now to the drawing, the bottle pockets embodying my invention are designated generally by the reference numeral 10 and each pocket 10 is made up of two small substantially U-shaped shells 11 and 12 which are substantially identical in shape and which are joined inv face-to-face relation to provide a bottle enclosing pocket.

The respective bottle pockets 10 are arranged in a row as shown in Fig. l and are mounted between side members 13 and 14 and Welded thereto at 15, the respective side members 13 and 14 being joined at the end by an end member 16 which is provided with a flange 17 for securing the row of pockets to the conveyor (not shown), said conveyor being of the continuous type and serving to carry the respective rows of bottle pockets intermittently through the successive operational zones in the bottle washer.

Each of the U-shaped side sections 11 and 12 is provided centrally with an embossment or projection 18 and adjoining embossments 18 are preferably welded together to provide additional strength for the row of bottle pockets. The end embossment 18 is welded to the end member 16, and the end embossment (not shown) at the opposite end of the row is secured to the corresponding end member.

Each U-shaped side section 11 and 12 has inwardly flared sides 11a and 12a forming obtuse angles with the intervening central portion. side sections 11 and 12 are joined and assembled as shown in Fig. 1, the pocket formed thereby is somewhat hex;

agonal in cross section.

Each pocket 10 is open at the top to permit insertion and removal of bottles. The bottom portion of each pocket is of inverted truncated pyramidal form and is adapted to receive the neck portion of a milk bottle when the bottle is inserted into the pocket.

Each U-shaped side section 11 and 12 has a central depending, downwardly extending strip 19, the respective strips 19 being slanted inwardly toward each other, and each strip 19 has at its lower end an inwardly bent lip 20, the respective lips 20 being spaced apart sufliciently to provide a passage thercbetween. The lips 20 cooperate to provide a support for the open end of a milk bottle to rest upon when such bottle is placed in the bottle pocket 16. Each lip 20 is provided with a concave notch 21 facing the corresponding notch 21 of the other lip 20, and the respective notches 21 cooperate to provide a circular opening to permit free flow of a jet or stream of water therethrough into the open end of a bottle in the bottle pocket 10 when the latter pauses over such jets during the intermittent operation of the bottle washing machine.

Each of the aforesaid side members 13 and 14 is provided with an inwardly slanted skirt 22 which slopes toward the lower ends of the strips 19, each skirt 22 having a bottom edge 23 turned under the lips 20 and welded thereto to form a secure assembly therewith. Each skirt 22 is provided with slots 24 aligned with the passage between the respective lips 20, the slots 24 being of substantially the same width as the distance between the lips 21?. Each slot 24 extends upwardly toward and terminates near the juncture of the respective skirts 22 with the side members 13 and 14. The edges of the slots 24 are provided with outturned edges which are preferably some- Thus when the respective.

' 3 what rounded to serve as a guide for the bead'aroiind the neck of a milk bottle in the particular pocketlt).

Thus it will be seen that the downwardly extending strips 19 from the side sections 11 and 12, and the skirts 22fdep'ending ffonitheside members 13 and,14-c'ooperate to form and :enclose the truncated pyramidal bottom sections of the respective bottle pockets 10. I

. :When "a partic'ular rowof bottle pockets reaches the discharge position in the washer, the ,-said pockets are ,in a "relatively level position on their-sides as shown in Fig. 3, and when they are in that position, a relativel'y'thin ejector b'ar 26"is propelled outwardly from behind the bottom of the bottle pocket 10 into the interior of said pocket 10, 'the ejector 26 being adapted to :pass through the epening formed. by the respective slots 24 and space between 'the lips 20 to engage the opening in the'to'p of'the bottle'28 (asshownin broken lines in Fig. 3:). ,The ejector'26 has arelativ'ely flat-pointed tip 27 which tendstorprev'entthe bottle 28 from slipping out of engagement with the 'ejector '26, and as said ejector 26 continues to move through thepocket 10a suflicient distance, itpush'es the bottle'28 out thereof and onto the discharge:plat'e*29. The movement of the ejector 26 'is, of course-coordinated with-the pause of the row of bottle pockets '10, between its intermittent movements so that the pocket'l0-is not in movement during the time that the ejector 26-enters to;pushout'the bottle 28.

The respective adjacent sides of mating side sections 11 and 12 meet at something less than a 180 degree angle to form "a'relatively shallow V channel which cooperates with the corresponding slotx24yas anjextension thereof to :provideafcontinuing guide for the beaded top edge of thebottle 28 asit is ejected from the'bottle pocket 10.

Thus, when the bottle pockets 10 are in use, bottles of virtuallyany size, ranging'from 'tall half pints up to square, rectangular or round 2-quartbottles may be handled thereby. The bottles are inserted top first into the pockets .10, either mechanically or by'hand. The pockets 10 "carrying the bottles therein downwardly through the soaking compartment, then upwardly to the return level over the-successive'jetsand the bottles are then brought back to-the discharge :position, and at that point they'are disposed horizontally as shown in Fig.3 so that the bottles tb 6n the lower sides of the res ective pockets 10. The shallow V-channel on the lower side of the pocket 10 as shown in Fig. 1 tends to center the body of the bottle in the pocket 10. The beaded edge around the top of the bottle tends to rest in the slot 24. As has been indicated previously, the relatively pointed tip 27 of the ejector 26 engages the open end of the bottle 28 and tends to keep it centered. The slot 24 assists in keeping the bottle centered as it slides outwardly from the pocket 10. And the shallow V-channel on the lower side of the pocket 10 as it is in discharge position cooperates with the tip 27 of the ejector 26 to continue keeping the bottle properly aligned while it is being pushed out of the pocket 10.

While I have shown and described my invention in a preferred form, I am aware that various modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit of my invention, the scope of which is to be determined by the appended claims.

"I claim:

l. An article receiving pocket of the class described comprising a hollow body shell open at one end with 'a somewhat funneksha'ped neck portion at the "other end, said body shell having a shallow longitudinal trough formed therein and said 'neckportion having a longitudinal slot aligned with and extending toward said trough, th'e'inargins of said ne'ck portion along opposite sides of said slot beingflared outwardly and toward each other.

-2. A'n*article receiving pocket of the class described comprising a body shell'of 'gener'ally hexagonal'cross section, the walls of said shell forming a plurality of longitudliially disposed 'angles,said shell being open at one end and having two opposed inturn'ed scoop-shaped walls, each 'ofsaid'scoop shap'ed walls being provided with a lbngitudiiially-disposed slot substantially aligned with-one of=said angles formed'by wallsof said shell, thel'ongitudinal margins ofsaidscoop-sha'ped Walls on'eachside of'said slots'being'fiared outwardly-and towardea'ch other.

References Citedin the file of thispatent V UNITED STATES PATENTS 731,339 Miller Feb. 7, 19'0'5 2,444,925 Fischer July 13,1948 

